Weft-carrier for needle-looms.



J. P. HUMPHRIES.

WEFT CARRIER FOR NEEDLE LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1909.

949,706. Patented Feb.15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

172M97 J 20 Jrrzel f lzlirf%zww J. P. HUMPHRIES.

WEET CARRIER FOR NEEDLE LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wifiaeasea.

JAMES PERCIVAL HUMPHRIES, OF KIDDERMINSTER, ENGLAND.

WEFT-CARRIER FOR NEEDLE-LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Application filed August 26, 1909. Serial No. 514,752.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. HUMrHnms, a subject of the Kin of GreatBritain, residing at Kiddermmster, VVorc'estershire, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Weft-Carriers forNeedle-Looms, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention is an improvement in weft carriers for pile fabriclooms, and more particularly for a pile fabric loom of the type shownand described in my prior application filed January 11, 1909, Serial No.471786, the general object of this invention residing in the productionof a needle- ]ike carrierpossessed of sufiieient flexibility to permitof its being coiled or wrapped around a drum, thereby materiallyreducing the space occupied by the working parts of :t the loom withoutimpairing their degree of usefulness or interfering with theiroperation.

The invention further resides. in the provision o'fi nteans forimpartinga slight forward and backward movement to the drum around whichthe needle is coiled, so as to maintain the unreeled portion of theneedle at all times in alinement with the passageway formed in the slay.

'lhepre'ferred embodiment of the inventionis illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a fragmental front elevation, partly in section, of a loomequipped with the improved needle. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of theslay. Fig. 4 is a fragment-a1 longitudinal sectional view of the needle.Fig. 5 is a plan view of the Weft-carrying end of the needle. Fig. 6 isa fragmental view of a modified form of needle. Fig. 7 is an en.- largeddetail View showing the drum in section, and the threads formed upon thedrum shaft.

Reference being had to said drawings and to the numerals marked thereon,1 designates, in a general manner, the frame of the loom, 2 thestationary slay, 3 the needlecarrying drum located in close proximity tothe slay, and the shaft upon which said drum is keyed or otherwisemounted, said shaft being arranged longitudinally of the frame and atright angles to the slay.

The needle 5, which is coiled around the grooved periphery of the drum,preferably consists of a plurality of small blocks 6 threaded upon awire 7, the inner end of which -is led over a pulley 8 mounted in aperipheral slot in said drum and is fastened to the central portion of alever 9 pivoted at its inner end to a bracket 10 secured to one of thespokes of the drum. The outer end of lever 9 is connected by anexpansible spring 11. to the drum hub. The blocks 6 above mentioned arestrung end to end upon the wire 7, and each is formed at one end with atongue 12, and at the other end with .a socket 13. This construction,aided by the spring 11 employed, rovides for a limited elasticity in thenee le, as will be apparent, so that the joints between adjacent blockscan open slightly and enable the needle to hug the drum, while at thesame time that portion of, the needle which is unreeled from the drumismaintained rigid by the closing of the joints. At its outer end, theneedle terminates in a solid member 14 having at itsforward end alateral arm 15 in the extremity of which an eyelet 16 is formed. Throughthis eyelet the weft thread is passed.

The slay 2, in connection with which the needle operates, as hereinafterdescribed, consists of a series of parallel upstanding reeds or teeth 17connected together at their lower ends, each reed having a centralopening 18 and a forwardly-extending slot 19 communicating therewith.See Fig. 3. The openings and slots aline with each other and thus unitein forming a continuous passageway through the slay. The solid member 14of the needle is adapted to work in the passageway formed by theopenings 18, while its arm 15 works through the slots 19.

To prevent the needle from buckling during the movements of the drum,there is provided a case 20 which incloses said drum and is secured inany preferred manner to the frame 1. To this case is fastened in turnthe rear end of a tangential guide 21 formed by a continuation of theslay, said guide being adapted to support the needle member 14 when thelatter is in its retracted or inoperative position shown in Fig. 1.

The requisite oscillatory movement of the drum is effected by means ofan arcuate rack 22 formed upon one end of a lever 23 and adapted to meshwith a pinion 24 secured to the drum shaft, 4. Lever 23 is operated,through a connecting rod 25, by a primary lever 26 provided with aroller 27 which works in the groove 28 of the box cam 29 secured to ashaft 30,-the needle remaining at rest during the travel of said rollerin the concentric portion of the cam groove.

\Vhen the arm 15, with which the needle member 14 is provided, reachesthe far side of the loom the shuttle (not shown) ordinarily employed inAxminster looms passes through the loop formed by the weft threadedthrough the eyelet 16, and the return movement of the needle thencommences.

In order to maintain the unreeled portion of the needle in alinement atall times with the passageway in the slay, it is necessary to eflect aslight endwise reciprocatory movement of the drum shaft during itsrotation, and to this end a portion of that shaft is preferably threadedas indicated by the numeral 31, Fig. 7 such portion being engaged in acorrespondingly threaded bearing 32 formed in frame 1. In thisconnection, it may be stated that the cam shaft 30, from which the drumshaft is driven, as above described, is driven in turn from the main'shaft of the loom by means of gearing (not shown), so proportioned as toprovide for three insertions of weft during each rotation of the mainshaft.

While the preferred form of the needle consists of a series of blocksthreaded upon a wire, as above shown and described, such form may bereplaced by a spirally coiled wire 33, (shown in Fig. 6), provided atits outer end with the solid member 14.

The operation of the invention will readily be understood from theforegoing, and furthgr description thereof is accordingly omitte What isclaimed is:

1. In a needle 100111 the combination of a drum; a flexible needlecoiled therearound; means for imparting a forward and backward rotationto the drum; and means for shifting the position of said drum bodily.

2. The combination of a slay comprising 4.. In a needle loom, a flexibleneedle comprising a flexible member, and a seriesof tubular sectionsstrung end to end thereon and having their mutually adjacent endsjointed together.

5. In a needle loom, the combination of a drum; a flexible needle coiledaround the drum and comprising a flexible member connected thereto atits inner end, and a series of tubular sections strung upon said member;means for exerting tension on the con nected end of said member; andmechanism for operating the drum.

6. In a needle loom, the combination of a slay provided with apassageway; a drum located adjacent said slay; a flexible needle coiledaround the drum and arranged to work in said passageway; means forimparting a forward and backward rotation to said drum, to operate saidneedle; and means for shifting said drum laterally with respect to saidslay, for maintaining the unreeled portion of the needle in alinementwith said passageway.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAM ES PERCIVAL HUMPHRIES.

\Vitnesses:

J AMES MORTON, GEO. W. CooKE.

